X5: Beyond Good and Evil
by nerdy uke
Summary: The third installment of my post-X2 AU. Sequel to “X4: The Once and Future King.” Lord Apocalypse believes the X-Men are standing in the way of evolution. He gathers the Four Horsemen to put an end to their efforts to preserve peace.
1. Conquest

XXXXX

_Mutation. It is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution leaps forward._

**Five Thousand Years Ago**

The villagers had long ago learned to recognize the signs of an impending sandstorm, but that didn't make them any less unnerving. Animals grew restless, and the air became eerily calm, with an almost palpable tension.

As Egyptian women and children began to take shelter, the workers in the field and at the pyramids were not so fortunate. As they began to look to each other with trepidation, their task masters continued to enforce their labor with the whip.

"Please," one older man begged. "Our village is over a mile from here. We will never make it before the storm hits."

"You will keep working, _abata_, until we tell you to stop," answered one of the whip bearers threateningly.

The wind had already begun to pick up, causing sand to whip around their feet.

Another slave simply stopped his work, standing in place. The guards glanced at each other uneasily. They were not so sure about approaching this one. He was much younger, taller, and stronger, easily dwarfing even the average guard.

With a sigh, the leader of the guards approached the uncooperative slave, drawing his sword instead of his whip.

"You would do well to obey our commands, _abata_," he warned.

The tall man still did not turn to face them.

"This is your last chance."

"No," he answered, still not turning to face them. "It's yours."

The guard finally lost his patience, raised his sword, and stepped towards the tall man.

When En Sabah Nur turned to face his would-be attacker, everyone watching the exchange gasped in shock. The tall, bald man's eyes were glowing with deadly red energy. He raised one hand, unleashing a blast of energy, and the guard and his sword fell in opposite directions, both of them equally inanimate by the time they landed.

"By the gods," one the other guards whispered.

"The gods?" En Sabah Nur repeated with a sneer. "The gods are not nearly as strong as I. I am the Eternal One. All of you now face a choice. Serve me as your rightful god, or die. Your lives have no great consequence one way or the other."

"What is this power?" one of the guards, already kneeling in submission, asked.

"To destroy the weak and make room for the strong."

XXXXX

**X-Men 5: Beyond Good and Evil**

XXXXX

_**I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow. He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.  
****-Revelation 6:2**_

Storm stood at the front of the class lecturing. "The historical record is unclear as to the exact circumstances that led to the unification of Egypt, but we know it happened approximately five thousand years ago. Perhaps it was a peaceful, political process. Perhaps it was a war of conquest."

"What about the Scorpion King?"

Storm smiled thinly. "You're such a fine student in every other subject, Kitty… I'd be awfully disappointed to think that you get your history from Hollywood."

"It's not just a movie," Kitty pressed. "I read it in the textbook."

"Yes. There is some evidence that one of the early kings of Egypt used the Scorpion as his symbol, but there is widespread debate about the identity and contributions of that king… and I hope I've trained all of you well enough in the historical method to question the idea that _any_ single man could be responsible for the unification of Egypt."

"Well, we don't have much reliable evidence from that period of history," Jean-Paul pointed out. "So all we really have to talk about is legends, stories… right?"

"I see we have much work to do," Storm observed ruefully.

XXXXX

The mutant students tended to travel in packs through the Mansion, but within that larger pack certain groups could be distinguished. And no one was particularly jealous when two of their fellow students met up with three members of the X-Men team on their way to lunch.

Kitty, Rogue, and Bobby quickly launched into companionable banter as they merged into the crowd. Jean-Paul paused just outside the classroom door to allow his boyfriend Peter to plant a kiss on his cheek before following in their wake.

It might have been a normal, if slightly small and exclusive, boarding school. But it wasn't. It was the Xavier Institute, affectionately known as "Mutant High" by many of its students. It was a haven and a training facility for those who were hated and feared by the very world many of them would grow up to defend.

In light of that, many of them were very confused as to why Ancient Egyptian History should interest them.

XXXXX

Kurt did not think he was claustrophobic, but he had spent so much of his time over the past few weeks in various medical devices – MRIs, CATs, and some he didn't even know the name for – that he was beginning to fear he was developing the condition.

"Were the effects of the transformation instantaneous?" Hank asked – one of the few questions he had not thought to ask yet.

Unfortunately, the answer Kurt gave was not substantially different than the answer he had given most of Hank's questions. "I don't know." If he still had his tail, it would be wagging it more quickly than usual to reflect his apprehension. "Vhen the beam hit me, I vas fully mutant. Vhen I voke up, I vas fully human. But I have no idea how long I was asleep."

"Hmm," Hank answered, trying to sound thoughtful, but clearly forcing himself not to sound disappointed. "The scan is complete. You don't have to hold still any longer."

Kurt sighed with relief as the table he was lying on slid out, and he was able to stand.

"Vhat did the tests show?" Kurt asked.

"The same thing all the other tests have shown… you're 'normal.'" Hank smiled apologetically at the word.

"Normal," Kurt repeated the word.

"Gene therapy is very risky," Hank noted, not for the first time. "It might be possible to restore you to your previous state… but I won't know until I've had time to conduct further research."

"No more tests today?"

"I think I've gotten everything I can from you for now, Kurt. The rest is all laboratory work. In the meantime… well, I'm sure you'll find a way to occupy yourself."

"I don't know…" Kurt mused uncertainly, but his expression suddenly brightened. "Perhaps I can go to Mass tomorrow."

"Your appearance will certainly draw less attention than it might have in the past," Hank noted.

Kurt grew very thoughtful, considering for the first time the many possible implications of the word "normal."

XXXXX

Alex Summers was not a happy man.

He had left Genosha on nothing remotely resembling his own terms. Miss Frost was gone, having betrayed Magneto and mutantkind to join Scott and the other weakling X-Men.

Alex had really not minded serving Magneto, but he couldn't stand those arrogant bastards Quicksilver and Pyro, and without Miss Frost as his ally, he could see that Magneto's more senior subordinates would bully him with impunity. Alex was not interested in being anyone's plaything.

So he found himself on the road, in a stolen car. He wasn't really afraid of getting caught… if the police tried to arrest him, they'd be in for a nasty surprise.

But he had no direction, no destination.

And then he saw the angel.

"What the…"

The winged figure landed in front of him, causing him to stop the car. Alex quickly recognized him. He stepped out of the car, and slammed the door. "What do you want, Warren?"

"You know that name no longer means anything to me, Alex Summers."

"Archangel, then," Alex conceded with a shrug.

"I am the Horseman of War," Archangel introduced himself calmly. "The Herald of Lord Apocalypse. My Lord knows that you do not enjoy traveling without direction. He knows what you really want, and he can help you get it."

Alex felt a chill going up his spine. "That guy you're working for? That Magneto's working for? Miss Frost seemed to think he was bad news."

"Emma Frost is weak," Archangel answered harshly. "She abandoned you and your kind for the safety of the X-Men. She will find that safety short-lived."

"You're going after the X-Men?" Alex asked eagerly.

"The X-Men are standing in the way of evolution," Archangel answered cryptically. "Their efforts to impose order and peace are thwarting chaos and bloody competition, the true friends of evolution. The agents of order must be destroyed for progress to continue. And here we have a common interest."

"Scott," Alex whispered bitterly.

"Lord Apocalypse will augment your powers, give you the ability to defeat your brother. In return, you need only serve him… a reward in itself, as it will give you the direction and purpose you truly seek."

"I don't know…" Alex answered reluctantly. "I don't know if I want to actually kill him."

"His fate is irrelevant," Archangel answered harshly. "Lord Apocalypse is willing to leave that in your hands. You need only defeat him. Whether you kill or humiliate and subjugate shall be your own prerogative."

Alex smiled wickedly. "I guess you've made me an offer I can't really refuse."

"Excellent! Come with me to my Master's citadel. You shall become the Horseman of Conquest. Your powers shall be to win many victories for Lord Apocalypse, and to bring all under his eternal scepter."


	2. War

XXXXX

_**Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.  
****-Revelation 6:4**_

It was hardly unheard of for someone to be late to Mass.

Usually they came in looking very hurried. Some had children tugging on any available garment. Others came alone. The more devout might cross themselves and whisper a quick prayer of penance for their tardiness. But the Church was beginning to lose its traditionalism. Many who arrived late didn't even genuflect towards the Eucharist before shuffling hastily into a pew towards the back of the cathedral.

Kurt Wagner, formerly Nightcrawler, did not really fall into either category. He had arrived well before Mass started, and sat outside the cathedral anxiously for some time, praying and warding off painful memories of rejection and hatred. He believed in his heart that God had always welcomed him, but he knew from experience that he had not always been welcome in God's House.

Today was different. But anxieties so ruthlessly pounded in were not lightly dismissed.

When Kurt finally worked up the courage to enter the cathedral, he did so timidly. He was one of those who whispered a quiet prayer of repentance, and he did genuflect towards the altar before slipping into a pew towards the back.

Slowly but surely, Kurt found himself comfortable participating in the singing, and slowly became comfortable despite the large crowd gathered for today's Mass. By the time the Eucharist was celebrated, he was ready to join the others in line to approach the altar.

"The body of Christ," the priest whispered as he placed the wafer on Kurt's tongue.

Kurt crossed himself and whispered, "Amen."

"The blood of Christ," another whispered as he offered the cup to Kurt to drink.

"Amen," Kurt whispered, crossing himself again.

As always, a profound sense of peace overcame Kurt as he walked back to the pew and knelt. The rest of the Mass was a happy blur, as Kurt reflected on the Real Presence of his Savior inside of him.

"Our Mass is ended. Go now in peace to love and serve the Lord."

Kurt was startled by the end of Mass, and hurriedly joined the others in answering, "Thanks be to God."

The powerful organ music of the closing hymn sped the congregation on their way, and filled Kurt with a feeling sense of energy and purpose.

XXXXX

"What do you think is worse: being gay or being a mutant?"

Jean-Paul was almost assuredly not the first person to ask that question. He was, however, somewhat unique in the sense that he was both gay _and_ a mutant.

So, of course, was his boyfriend, Peter, who answered with a smile, "I kind of like both of them, actually, don't you?"

"Okay, okay," Jean Paul hastily corrected. "Which do you think is _harder_?"

Peter shot him an amused smirk, and Jean-Paul rolled his eyes. "_More difficult_," he amended yet again.

Peter stared off in the distance as he composed his thoughts. The two boys were sitting on a bench on the mansion grounds, enjoying the twilit sky and the light breeze. The sounds of nature surrounded them, as crickets and other creatures of the night were beginning to awaken.

"Out there?" Peter finally responded, gesturing away from the mansion. "They're both hard. Hell, they're both impossible." He smiled at his boyfriend. "But here? Neither of them is hard." After a brief reflective pause, he added, "What do you think?"

"Well, I don't think anyone's ever going to write an article called, 'Mutation: Is it a Choice?'" Jean-Paul noted ruefully. "But I think you're right, Peter. There's so much hate in this world."

"We're so lucky, Jean-Paul… to have this place… to have each other."

Jean-Paul smiled at his response, and Peter leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"Ew."

Both boys looked up, and laughed. Kitty was just coming back from her evening stroll, and had obviously been on her way over to greet them when they got all mushy.

"Sorry," Jean-Paul grinned, not soundly remotely apologetic.

Kitty shrugged. "Are we still going to study tonight?"

"I didn't forget," Jean-Paul assured her.

"Good." Kitty smiled at her old friend Peter. "How's the team treating you?"

"Tiring," Peter admitted. "Confusing. Professor Xavier has been gone constantly, meeting with the government… Cyclops and Storm have us training even harder than usual, because they're not sure _what_ we should be training against…"

"This is what you wanted," Kitty pointed out. "You're really part of the team now."

"Yeah," Peter agreed, sounding very content despite his weariness. "I am."

XXXXX

Shortly after his return to the mansion – still dizzy with the afterglow of the first Mass he had attended in years – Kurt ran into Hank and Jean, both looking very excited.

"Dr. Grey," Kurt greeted happily. "Dr. McCoy."

"Kurt!" Henry greeted excitedly. "We have fantastic news."

"We've just finished reviewing the results of your DNA Test," Jean elaborated. "Your X-Gene isn't gone, Kurt! It's just been deactivated."

The fact that they were so excited they were completing each other's sentences could only mean one thing. "Does this mean…?" Kurt asked.

"This simplifies things greatly," Jean confirmed.

"We're pretty sure we can reactivate it safely," Henry added.

Both of them looked at him expectantly, and when he failed to have an outburst of happiness, Hank prompted, "Isn't that what you want, Kurt?"

Kurt shifted his feet restlessly, reflecting on the day's events… on what he had been able to do, on the acceptance he had felt. "I… thank you, Dr. Grey. Dr. McCoy. I am grateful. Truly, I am." He hesitated. "But can you give me some time to think about this?"

"The procedure is completely safe," Hank assured him.

Jean bit her lip. "I don't think that's what he's worried about, Henry."

"Please," Kurt reiterated. "Just give me some time."

"Of course, Kurt," Jean encouraged him. "Take all the time you need."

Hank looked disappointed as he quickly excused himself to return to his lab.

"Kurt?" Jean added as Kurt was about to turn to leave as well. "I don't want to influence your decision too heavily, but try to remember that if they don't accept you for who you really are, that's not really accepting you."

Kurt nodded stiffly, and retreated to his room to think and pray.

XXXXX

Juggernaut did not know how long it had been since his failed attack on his stepbrother's mansion. What he did know was that he needed to be better prepared if he planned on going back.

So far, he had evaded pursuit (sometimes he "evaded" with his fists), but he had no real idea of how to proceed aside from not getting caught. That was the downside to single-minded determination… when Plan A didn't work out, it usually helped to have at least considered the need for a Plan B.

The last thing Juggernaut expected to see was an angel.

But that's exactly what he did see. To be sure, when he gave any thought at all to angels he had never envisioned metal wings or blue skin, but certainly one could allow God artistic license?

"Hello, Cain Marko."

Juggernaut regarded the apparently biblical figure warily. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The winged figure landed gracefully in front of him. "I am Archangel, the Horseman of Death. More importantly, I am the Herald of Lord Apocalypse."

"Right," Juggernaut snorted.

"I am here to make you an offer, Cain Marko."

"What can you possibly offer me?" Juggernaut asked, already starting to continue on his way.

Archangel smiled, a very disconcerting sight. "We know what you want. You want to kill your brother, Charles Xavier. "

Juggernaut stopped dead in his tracks.

"Lord Apocalypse can give you the power to do it… all you need to do is swear loyalty to him. Become one of the Horesmen."

"You're telling me I can kill Xavier…"

"Lord Apocalypse will give you the ability and the opportunity," Archangel repeated. "Your powers will be augmented. In exchange, you will serve Lord Apocalypse. A reward in itself, as you will fight many glorious battles."

"I don't much care what happens to me after that runt is dead," Juggernaut answered enthusiastically. "Count me in."

"Excellent! You shall become the Horseman of War. Your power shall be to bring destruction and ruin to enemies of Lord Apocalypse. All shall live in terror of your violence."


	3. Famine

XXXXX

_**I looked, and there was a black horse, and its rider held a scale in his hand. I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four creatures. It said, "A ration of wheat costs a day's pay, and three rations of barley cost a day's pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine."  
****-Revelation 6:5-6**_

_NIGHTCRAWLER: They're angelic symbols, passed on to mankind by the archangel Gabriel.  
STORM: They're beautiful. How many do you have?  
NIGHTCRAWLER: One for every sin._

_NIGHTCRAWLER: You know, outside the circus, most people were afraid of me. But Ididn't hate them. I pitied them. Do you know why? Because most people will never know anything beyond what they see with their own two eyes.  
STORM: Well I gave up on pity a long time ago.  
NIGHTCRAWLER: Someone so beautiful should not be so angry.  
STORM: Sometimes anger can help you survive.  
NIGHTCRAWLER: So can faith._

"Our Mass is ended. Go forth in peace to love and serve the Lord."

For the second week in a row, Kurt was able to celebrate Mass with his brothers and sisters, but Jean's words weighed heavily on him.

As he walked down the aisle to exit the cathedral, he overheard part of a conversation.

"…those damn mutants. Why doesn't the government do something about them?"

"If they don't I will! Charles Xavier and all his little demonspawn …"

Kurt stopped dead in his tracks and was almost accidentally knocked over by the person behind him. He felt his stomach turn sour and his throat threatened to close up. He retreated to the nearby alcove with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He felt sheltered in the shadows, illuminated mostly by candlelight, knelt and began to pray.

XXXXX

The priest slid open the confessional door, so that he and Kurt were separated only by the grating, obscuring their view of each other. It didn't matter much because Kurt was staring straight forward.

"Bless me Father for I have sinned," Kurt said quietly after crossing himself. "It has been five years since my last confession."

"Five years is quite some time, my son. Regular confession is good for the soul. Tell me, what weight have you carried all this time?"

"I'm not sure where to begin, Father. I have not been able to attend Mass in that length of time because God created me a certain way… I've been made what others would call 'normal'… but there is a way I can go back. I fear I am betraying my friends by staying this way where they cannot, and many of them _would_ not… and I don't know what the Church would counsel for me."

The priest's voice was very compassionate as he answered, "I can give no absolution where there has been no sin, my son."

"Perhaps not… but I seek your counsel. I seek the Church's counsel."

"I have heard mutation called a gift before, my son. Have you heard that?"

"I have," Kurt agreed. He smiled ruefully. "Perhaps not as often as other things."

The priest continued, "Sacred Scripture tells us, 'Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers: all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.'"[1]

"But the Church teaches…"

"The Church teaches us that Evolution is part of God's Divine Plan. The Vatican is silent about mutation, but the Bible is not. 'The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, be serious and sober for prayers. Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.'" He repeated, with emphasis, "_Use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace._"[2]

"But so much hate…"

Here, the answer was even more predictable. "Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good."[3]

Kurt closed his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy, but now at least he knew what he had to do. "Thank you, Father," he said with quiet intensity.

"God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

"Thanks be to God," Kurt whispered with conviction.

[1] James 1:16-7  
[2] 1 Peter 4:7-10  
[3] Romans 12:21

XXXXX

Hank was triple-checking the settings on the instrument hood as he explained, "We're using a modified form of the radiation Magneto developed for the Liberty Island attack. The effects should be much more stable because you already have an X-Gene. We're 95 percent certain that the results will be precisely as intended." He paused. "Are you sure you want to do this, Kurt? That we haven't pushed you into this decision."

"Yes," Kurt answered with conviction. "God gave me my gifts, Dr. McCoy. He meant for me to use them to serve Him and help others. And God did not take them away. Man did."

XXXXX

When you go to jail, the type of cell you find yourself in is usually determined by the severity of your crime. Misdemeanor? It's going to look a lot like a cheap hotel room. Felony? Slightly less inviting. Concrete walls. Maybe a window if you're lucky. Definitely bars.

When you kill the President of the United States and use your mutant powers to impersonate him, you get what essentially amounts to a room-sized metal box.

_Metal,_ Mystique thought to herself ruefully. Were these humans entirely devoid of intellect?

As if in answer to her silent question, a section of the wall was violently torn asunder. Mystique jumped lightly to her feet, ready to greet her savior.

"Erik, I thought you'd never—"

Mystique stopped short. Instead of Magneto floating gracefully in the air, she saw Juggernaut tossing what was left of her cell wall aside. Behind him was a winged, blue-skinned figure.

"Juggernaut," Mystique greeted, trying not to seem surprised or perturbed. "Where's Magneto?"

"Serving his new Master," the winged-figure, not Juggernaut, answered. "As you will soon."

Mystique was really getting annoyed now. "And just who the hell are you supposed to be?"

"I am Archangel," the winged-figure answered serenely. "Horseman of Death. Herald of Lord Apocalypse, who is master of all men and mutants."

Mystique lowered herself into a combat stance. "Magneto believes all mutants have a right to self-determination. He would never work with someone who calls himself master."

"Oh, but he does," Archangel insisted. "As will you, if you wish to see him ever again. Join your former master in serving his new master."

"Magneto is _not_ my master," Mystique rebuked. "We're allies."

"My apologies," Archangel responded, but did not seem perturbed at all by her outburst.

"And just who is this Apocalypse?"

"As I have said, he is the master of this world and all others. He is the Eternal One, the first mutant."

So, their leader had a messiah complex? This really didn't sound like someone Erik would follow.

"I know what you want, Raven Darkholme."

"Do _not_ use my slave name," Mystique spat.

"You want what everyone wants. You want to survive. You mold yourself to adapt to situations and persist where others would perish. Lord Apocalypse is the master of evolution; he has methods of enhancing your gifts. Come with me, and reach your full potential."

"I agree to nothing before I see Erik."

"I am sorry. That is not possible. You will return with me to Lord Apocalypse's citadel, where you will likely encounter Magneto, or you will remain here, where you will likely be taken into custody by the humans. That is the choice that faces you now."

"All right," Mystique answered reluctantly.

Archangel was apparently not satisfied. "Swear your loyalty to Lord Apocalypse."

"I swear it."

"Excellent! You shall become the Horseman of Famine. Your power shall be to bring quiet ruin to Lord Apocalypse's enemies. All will live in fear of your undetectable approach."


	4. Death

XXXXX

_**I looked, and there was a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him.  
****-Revelation 6:8**_

Collective anxiety was becoming almost as tangible as the actual participants of the Xavier Institute's staff meetings.

The tension did not entirely arise from the fact that Magneto was still on the loose; though that was the subject of the most serious conversations, Magneto hadn't really _done_ anything despite being at large. Yet for some reason, an impending sense of doom seemed to hover over every meeting.

Even Professor Xavier was not unaffected by this phenomenon. He seemed like he was just going through the motions of the meeting, as though something else were on his mind. "Ororo?" he prompted as he began going around the table for individual reports.

"Test scores are down," Storm admitted. "The kids seem more restless than usual. I think they've picked up on the fact that something is going on."

The unspoken question hung in the air: _what_ was going on?

Xavier nodded. "Does anyone have any suggestions?"

It didn't take a psychic to figure out that no one had a clue what to do. Hells, _they_ were more restless than usual.

"Very well. Perhaps if we each take some time over the next week to think about this, and come back with solutions next week. Scott?"

"The team is training at our usual pace," Cyclops reported. "Proficiency is steady. Iceman and Rogue are beginning to operate like veterans, and Colossus is becoming more comfortable working with the team every day."

"Thank you," Xavier acknowledged. "Logan?"

"If I had any leads on Magneto, we wouldn't be here right now," Wolverine pointed out.

Xavier smiled slightly. "I see we're all brief today. Jean? Hank? Do you want to fill the others in on how Kurt is doing?"

Jean and Beast both beamed – finally something optimistic to talk about.

"Do you want to…?" Jean offered.

"Go ahead," Beast encouraged.

"As some of you know, we were able to successfully reactivate Kurt's X-Gene earlier today," Jean reported. "We're keeping him in the infirmary for observation, and it might take him some time to readjust to his powers, but…"

Xavier smiled warmly. "Thank you, Jean. Are you ready for the big day?"

Jean and Scott smiled at each other, and more of the tension in the room evaporated.

Perhaps the wedding would be just what the entire Institute needed to lift everyone's spirits. "Now if everyone would kindly stop acting as though they expect the ceiling to cave in at any moment," Xavier continued, eliciting a couple laughs, "let's get through the agenda. It's not as though the world is about to end."

XXXXX

Archangel felt a mixture of sympathy and envy as he led his three new fellow Horsemen towards their master's chamber.

Sympathy, because meeting Apocalypse for the first time could be a very terrifying experience. And also because their lives were about to change irreparably. They would be changing for the better, but they could never go back.

Envy, because the change was something that could only happen once. They were about to experience something very few mortals ever experienced. Archangel had already experienced it; he would never get to experience it again. His change had caused his temperament to become somewhat more constant; stoic, almost. The others would all experience their change differently.

As expected, even the bravest of the three converts jumped slightly at their first sight of Apocalypse. (The ground shook slightly under Juggernaut's feet, but Apocalypse was clearly unperturbed.)

Without any hesitation, Archangel approached the throne and dropped to one knee.

"You have done well, Archangel," Apocalypse affirmed.

Archangel positively quivered with pleasure at having pleased him. "I live only to serve you, my Lord!"

Apocalypse smiled benevolently – though the expression would be almost indiscernible to an outsider – and then turned to the other three. "Welcome, my Horsemen! I am sure you all have questions, but I assure you they will be answered much better by swiftly performing your transformation than with empty words."

"Kneel," Archangel whispered harshly.

The others took the hint. With apparent reluctance, they approached the throne and knelt (somewhat awkwardly in Juggernaut's case) behind Archangel.

All three were equally intimidated by Apocalypse, but Havok and Mystique didn't particularly wish to tangle with Juggernaut, so they ended up directly behind Archangel, with Juggernaut behind them, the four kneeling figures forming a diamond before the throne.

"Conquest," Apocalypse prompted.

"My Lord," Havok answered, following Archangel's lead.

The floor beneath him began to glow with strange energy, and Havok felt his body tingling. Before everyone's eyes he changed. His eyes glowed with strange energy, and he looked inexplicably more formidable.

"War."

Juggernaut nodded silently. The floor beneath him also began to glow with energy. If it was possible, his muscles seemed to grow even harder. Apocalypse touched a button on the arm of his throne, and mechanical arms stripped Juggernaut of his plain armor, replacing it with golden armor covered in Egyptian war paint.

"The armor is a gold/adamantium weave," Archangel whispered. "Only Lord Apocalypse can manipulate adamantium in this way."

"I would certainly beg to differ," another voice interjected as Magneto stepped out from behind the throne.

"Erik!" Mystique called out excitedly.

Magneto's expression contorted in confusion. "Mystique?"

"Famine," Apocalypse announced calmly, and the platform under Mystique began to glow with the same strange energy as the others'. The confusion left her expression; in fact, all trace of emotion did.

"What are you doing?" Magneto demanded, panicked.

"Helping her fulfill he destiny," Archangel answered for Apocalypse.

"No!" Magneto protested, but it was already too late.

"Silence," Archangel hissed.

"Death," Apocalypse concluded.

"Here I am." Archangel bowed low, his forehead almost touching the floor, but there was no change needed; he had already been augmented.

Apocalypse stood. He was an imposing figure, easily dwarfing Magneto. "Now that my Horsemen are assembled we can begin our real work!" Apocalypse announced.

Magneto continued to stare at Mystique, horrified. She gave no indication of noticing his attention.

"Charles Xavier and his X-Men are interfering with the forces of evolution," Apocalypse continues. "They are interfering with the true destiny of mutants. Evolution can only occur when there is conflict. They minimize that conflict and allow stagnation to occur. That is why they must be eliminated."

"_What_?" Magneto demanded. "Charles—"

"Magneto," Apocalypse finally addressed him instead of talking over him, as though noticing him for the first time. "Thank you for your assistance, but it is no longer needed. I release you from my service."

Magneto clenched and unclenched his fist. He started to walk away. "Mystique?" he said, turning towards her as he walked past.

Mystique glanced up at Magneto briefly, quizzically, then looked at Apocalypse. "My Lord?"

Magneto appeared as though the words had physically wounded him. Apocalypse smiled triumphantly.

"Go now," Apocalypse invited. "Go tell your friend Xavier of death's swift approach, but know that if you do you will die with him."

"You can't possibly expect to defeat us both," Magneto answered defiantly, though there was no conviction behind his words.

"The task would be too simple for me," Apocalypse answered, sinking back onto his throne. "I leave it to my Horsemen, to prove their worthiness."

With one last despondent look at Mystique, Magneto took desperate flight.


	5. Love

XXXXX

_**Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.  
****-1 Peter 4:8**_

In addition to their friends and family from outside the Xavier Institute, Jean and Scott had of course extended a blanket invitation to every occupant of the mansion -- X-Man, student, or guest. There would, after all, be very little else to do at the Institute that day with all the teachers attending the wedding, and both Jean and Scott were well-liked enough that very few people weren't interested in attending the wedding anyway.

One person no one had really counted on accepting the invitation was Emma Frost. Emma had been staying at the Xavier Institute for several weeks now, lending her knowledge of the Phoenix phenomenon in exchange for sanctuary. Her encounters with Scott had been intentionally awkward; uncomfortable for him, amusing for her.

Emma was delighted that the happy couple was having an outdoor wedding. She wore one of her sexiest silk dresses, showing plenty of skin. Like most of her wardrobe it was white, ironically making it match the bride's dress, the color of which was said to represent virginal purity.

"_That's_ what you wear to a wedding?" an exasperated young voice demanded.

"Ah, Kitty. Just the antagonistic boor of an adolescent schoolgirl I was hoping to see. Yes. This is what I'm wearing to this archaic, joke-worthy ceremony."

"So you don't like weddings," Kitty noted. "And you clearly don't like Jean—"

"The feeling seems quite mutual, yet I don't hear you criticizing the bride," Emma mused

"_No one_ likes you," Kitty answered harshly. "And I know why she's here, what with it being her wedding and all. Why are you here, Emma?"

"To wear this whorish dress and show my lover what he's missing, of course."

Kitty's jaw almost dropped. "_Cyclops_?"

"No, Jean," Emma answered sarcastically. She looked suddenly thoughtful, and Kitty was sure she was thinking about making a lewd compliment, the only kind she would ever make about Jean Grey.

"Cyclops would never be your lover," Kitty protested. Emma smiled indulgently. "Scott was young and intelligent like yourself once, Kitten. It was only relatively recently that he became old and _responsible_," she practically spat the last word.

Kitty glared at Emma – which Emma found quite adorable. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Miss Frost."

"I hope that wasn't supposed to be a threat, my darling little Kitten. You can look all you want. You can do more than look as long as you promise not to grow attached and not to tell anyone." Kitty made a disgusted sound of exasperation, and hurriedly retreated towards where her friends were sitting. Emma smiled to herself in amusement.

XXXXX

"You won't even wear a tuxedo for Jean's wedding?" Storm rebuked half-seriously as she checked her hair in the mirror.

Logan grunted. "No one would recognize me. They'd all get mad because I wasn't there."

Storm sighed, taking in his appearance, then smiled gently at him. "I guess I can't complain. I knew what I was getting into when I started dating you."

"You look great," Logan offered cheerfully.

"You look scruffy," Storm countered with mock reproach.

XXXXX

Cyclops fidgeted, trying to catch his reflection in a nearby window. "How does my tie look?"

Beast smiled. "Fine. Precisely the same as it looked two minutes ago when you last asked, Scott.

Scott smiled, embarrassed. "I suppose I shouldn't be nervous."

"You're only human." Hank laughed at his own ironic choice of words, causing Cyclops to laugh as well, breaking the tension. "You're only nervous because this is so important to you," Scott's best man continued. "Jean would be touched."

XXXXX

"The wimp is probably nervous," Jean mused affectionately.

Storm smiled at her. "Can't you just read his mind?"

Jean smiled back. "I don't have to."

"You're not nervous?" Storm asked, more seriously.

Jean raised a brow. "Should I be?"

"It doesn't seem like you not to be," Storm pointed out.

Jean hesitated. "I guess worrying about turning into a cosmic death machine has put things into perspective for me."

"Jean..." Storm chided.

"I have to joke about it, Storm!" Jean implored. "It's the only way to stay sane about the whole thing."

Storm nodded in reluctant understanding.

"Anyway. No. I'm not nervous."

XXXXX

It was very unusual for the X-Men to stand on ceremony, but Jean and Scott wanted a somewhat traditional wedding on the Institute's courtyard, so that was what they got. Unsteady wooden folding chairs adorned the lawn, arranged neatly in rows. A thin layer of rose petals had been dropped along the brick path leading to the fountain; the actual exchange of vows would happen with the fountain flowing gently as the backdrop.

Outdoor weddings were tricky, but it had turned out to be an absolutely beautiful day. There was a gentle breeze, and the happy couple would be bathed in sunlight as they smiled at each other. One break with tradition was that Scott and Jean would be escorted by their Best Man and Maid of Honor.

Beast's calming influence continued to do wonders for Scott as he walked steadily to the stage, turned, and took in the sight of all his friends looking at him with love. They didn't look for long, though, because the music abruptly shifted, and Jean was walking down the aisle, escorted by Storm. She was absolutely radiant. When she smiled at Scott, he felt like the sun itself was smiling at him. The couple joined hands.

As they had hoped, the scene was very picturesque, but that wasn't on either of their minds right now. Scott even forgot his nervousness as they smiled at each other.

"My friends," Xavier began, smiling, "Thank you for joining us today on this most special of days. We are gathered here to join two dear friends in celebrating their love for one another.

"As their teacher, it has been my distinct pleasure to watch Scott Summers and Jean Grey grow. Over the years, they have gone from two of my most promising students to two of my most beloved friends and trusted confidants. Both have distinguished themselves for their bravery in the face of violence and hatred from the very people they seek to protect.

"Jean, Scott: we are not here to join you, because we cannot join what has already been joined. Love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love is what allows us to keep striving for good in this world even when it looks hopeless.

"Today, we are here to acknowledge a very special kind of love. Thank you for allowing us to join you today, to celebrate with you a love that has defined you both, and has been an inspiration to us all."

After a pause during which he appeared dangerously close to becoming emotional, Xavier resumed, "Love gives us many gifts. Scott, do you have a gift for Jean today?"

"I do," Scott acknowledged.

"Would you share it with her now?"

Scott slipped the ring out of his pocket, and stated, "Jean. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. Please keep it and cherish it, and know that I am yours."

"And Jean, do you have a gift to share with Scott today?"

Jean held up an identical ring, and stated, "Scott. I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. Please keep it and cherish it, and know that I am yours."

Xavier gave them a moment to look deeply into each other's eyes, and continued, "And now the time has come to promise to share another gift with each other: the gift of the rest of your life together.

"Scott, do you take Jean to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Scott answered earnestly, never taking his eyes off of her.

"And Jean, do you take Scott to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Jean gazed into his visor-covered eyes. "I do."

"Then as your teacher, and by the power vested in me by the State of New York, it gives me great pleasure to pronounce you lawfully wedded partners."

A shower of applause answered that last statement, and the happy couple leaned towards each other for a kiss.

And then all hell broke loose.

The mansion's proximity alarms began blaring. At first everyone thought it was a poorly-timed joke, but then a caped flying figure landed in the midst of the ceremony.

"Erik!" Xavier exclaimed.

Everyone was on their feet in an instant. Students fled in panic at the instruction of their teachers, Wolverine jumped towards Magneto with his claws deployed. Scott let go of Jean and reached for his glasses.

"No!" Magneto pleaded. "Wait!"

Magneto looked harried, almost desperate. He ripped off his helmet as a gesture to prove his lack of hostility.

"They're coming, Charles!" Magneto announced breathlessly. "They're coming to kill you all. And now that I've told you, they'll kill me, too."


	6. Fallen Star

XXXXX

_**Then the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. It was given the key to the abyss.  
****-Revelation 9:1**_

"Storm, would you see about getting the children back to the Mansion?"

"There's no time for that," Magneto warned. "They need to run. And they need to run now. As do you."

The X-Men had gathered around Xavier and Magneto. They still looked wary – especially Wolverine – but no one looked ready to begin fighting right away.

"Erik, what has happened?"

"I have been working for a very powerful mutant, Charles… En Sabah Nur."

Xavier's eyes widened, his expression horrified. "Apocalypse is a myth, Erik! You know that as well as I!"

"Yet I have seen him," Magneto countered. "It is true what they say… that he has the ability to enhance gifts… Mystique is with them, Charles."

Xavier frowned in sympathy.

Magneto turned to face Cyclops. "As is your brother."

Cyclops was stone-faced, simply nodding in acknowledgement.

"They are on their way now, Charles," Magneto warned. "If you intend to face them, I suggest you send the children to safety."

"Cyclops…"

"No way!" Cyclops protested.

"It has to be you," Xavier pressed. "You're the only one I can trust with a task of this magnitude. Those children are our future."

"I belong _here_," Cyclops insisted. "Storm or Jean or even Logan would be better at safeguarding them. I'm not the most powerful mutant here; I'm the leader of this team. That means I'm only valuable if I'm here."

"Scott—"

"I know what this is about," Cyclops pressed. "It's about my brother. I promise you I won't let my personal feelings interfere with my judgment."

"Ororo."

Storm's expression darkened, but unlike Cyclops she did not argue.

"Be safe," Xavier pled.

Storm nodded, and turned away to gather the children. Wolverine broke off the help her gather them up and so they could share a few last words before she departed.

"Apocalypse has greatly enhanced your brother's powers," Magneto cautioned. "He is much more formidable than when last you met… he might be more powerful than you now."

Cyclops nodded stiffly.

XXXXX

Peter had seen Jean-Paul breaking off from the other students, and rushed out to meet him, catching him by the shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Peter demanded.

"I can help you!" Jean-Paul insisted, his features defiant.

Peter shook his head. Now he knew how the other side of this felt. "This is _not_ the time to develop a hero complex, Jean-Paul. Go! Be safe!"

"I can fight!" Jean-Paul insisted.

Peter leaned towards him and kissed him deeply. "I'm sure you can," he assured him after breaking the kiss. "But I'm much more interested in you being safe."

"What about you?" Jean-Paul demanded.

Colossus stepped back and transformed into his metal form. "I'm indestructible," he assured Jean-Paul with a grin. "Remember?"

Jean-Paul didn't look so certain. "I love you," he stated, his voice trembling slightly.

Colossus didn't even have a chance to be shocked at hearing the words for the first time. Instead, he found himself confidently answering, "I love you, too."

After one last long look, Colossus tore himself away and ran back to the others.

XXXXX

As everyone else was hurrying about their tasks, Cyclops was taking a moment apart from the others with his bride. They stood under the shelter of a nearby clump of trees.

"I can't do it again, Scott," she whispered, letting him take her into his arms and resting the side of her face against his chest. "I'll lose myself."

"You won't have to," Cyclops assured her. "We'll take care of this one without the Phoenix."

Jean shook her head. "It's getting harder and harder to use my powers without calling on her, Scott…"

"Her?" Cyclops prodded.

Jean bit her lip.

"Jean, are you coming into contact with its consciousness?" Cyclops pressed, intentionally using _it_ in place of the pronoun Jean had used.

The night air was once again pierced by the sound of the proximity alarm, and Cyclops and Jean had to abandon their conversation and run out from the trees to the center of the lawn.

"To me, my X-Men!" Cyclops shouted Xavier's traditional rallying cry.

XXXXX

Archangel was the first to appear, flying over the fence. Then rubble rained from the sky as Juggernaut smashed his way through. Havok followed. No one else was immediately visible.

Cyclops immediately started firing his optic blasts at them. Wolverine, Beast, and Colossus rushed immediately to meet Juggernaut. Bobby and the psychics hung back with Cyclops.

"I thought you said Mystique was with them!" Cyclops shouted as Magneto and took flight with Rogue – Rogue heading for Juggernaut, Magneto for Archangel.

"She is!" Magneto shouted back. "Apocalypse's enhancements may have given her the ability to become completely invisible!"

"That complicates things!"

XXXXX

Iceman hastily created a wall of ice in front of the massive Juggernaut, which the massive figure easily smashed through, only to be met with the semi-circle of Wolverine, Colossus, and Beast, Rogue floating over them.

"Back for more, sugar?" Rogue taunted.

Juggernaut only growled in reply, swiping his massive arm at the three on the ground. Wolverine dropped under, Beast jumped over, and Colossus unwisely tried to physically redirect the blow. Juggernaut's superior strength easily overcame Colossus's, sending him flying towards the trees.

"Xavier!" Juggernaut shouted.

His stepbrother sat on the steps of the mansion, trying to his best to use his powers to minimize his X-Men's fears and heightening their awareness, making their survival more probable.

It was fortunate Juggernaut had chosen that exact moment to threaten his stepbrother, because Wolverine's sharp eyes briefly glanced at the professor, and he caught a hint of movement towards the professor. After a moment of observation, Wolverine realized there was a barely-perceptible human-shaped blur moving towards the professor.

"Wheels!" Wolverine shouted. "Get out of there!"

The blur faded to reveal Mystique standing behind Xavier, holding a gun. No one would be able to get there in time to—

With a burst of smoke, Nightcrawler appeared directly over the professor, already in the process of delivering an acrobatic somersaulting kick at the professor's would-be assassin. Mystique cried in shock and went flying backwards. Not leaving anything to chance, Kurt grabbed the professor by both arms and disappeared again.

XXXXX

Despite his insistence that his personal feelings would not dictate his actions, Cyclops found himself standing across the battlefield from his brother.

"Alex…"

Before Cyclops could say anything, Havok fired a burst of energy, sending Cyclops flying backwards and smashing him against the mansion wall.

Another burst of energy hit Cyclops like a physical blow, causing him to cry out in pain, and Havok walked closer to his helpless brother.

"Not this time, Scott," Havok announced menacingly. "I am not listening to another one of your speeches. You're the good guy? I'm the bad guy? It doesn't _matter_ anymore. All that matters is that I _will_ win this time."

Havok stumbled sideways, hitting the ground as Jean flattened him with a telekinetic shove. But her hands dropped and she faltered, looking at Cyclops with unsteady eyes.

Havok chuckled and pulled himself off the ground. "Is that the best you've got?" Without another thought he turned away and raised his arms towards Cyclops to blast him again.

"Jean," Cyclops pleased. "Don't."

But Jean couldn't just let her husband die by his brother's hands. She stood very still, closing her eyes. At the last second she cried with fear, but then her face became passionless and flames began to billow from her form.

XXXXX

In the air, Magneto lunged at Archangel with incredible force, his fist trained at the Horseman's heart in a crushing blow. But Archangel confidently knocked Magneto's blow aside and countered, sending him spinning away.

"Apocalypse is using you, Warren Worthington," Magneto shouted when he recovered.

"That name no longer means anything to me," Archangel answered stiffly. "And I am but delighted that I may serve my master however he wishes."

Shaking his head sadly, Magneto reached out in the general direction of the fence, grabbing a huge chunk of it with his power and hurtling it towards Archangel. To his shock and horror, Archangel actually _kicked_ the massive metal fence piece out of midair without significantly altering his flightpath.

"Apocalypse rewards his servants amply," Archangel stated tonelessly. "And the power he has granted me is more than enough to end your pitiful life, Erik Lensherr."

XXXXX

Juggernaut continued to swipe at the X-Men, and they continued to just barely avoid his massive blows, watching with concern as his fists knocked over trees and made large craters in the ground.

Rogue, floating in midair waiting for an opportunity, suddenly swooped at Juggernaut while he was distracted by Wolverine, placing her ungloved hand on the only available exposed skin just inside the holes in his helmet.

With a growl of annoyance, Juggernaut elbowed her aside, and Rogue barely managed to catch herself.

"Something's wrong!" Rogue announced in concern. "Nothing happened!" Even though she had barely touched him, Rogue should have been able to sap at least some of his powers.

Juggernaut answered with rumbling laughter. "Fools. Nothing stops the Juggernaut!"

With a growl of frustration, Wolverine leaped at him, claw-first.

"Logan, no!" Rogue yelled.

But it was too late. Juggernaut leveled Wolverine with a powerful blow. The sickening sound of snapping bones filled the air as Wolverine tumbled lifelessly towards the ground.

XXXXX

"Jean!" Cyclops shouted in concern as he pulled himself off the ground.

But Jean Grey was gone. In her place was the pitiless Phoenix.

Havok tried to blast at her with the energy beams that had so thoroughly overwhelmed Cyclops, but the effect on Phoenix was quite different. She simply continued walking towards him, apparently unaffected.

Havok backed away.

Phoenix swiped her hand casually, and Havok went flying up into the air, landing with a sickening crunch.

"Well," Emma noted sarcastically. "I'm glad to see we're throwing caution into the wind at the first sign of trouble. Again."

"Jean is very worried about using the Phoenix's powers lightly, Emma," Scott snapped back.

"Yes. So we keep saying. And there's ever so much evidence! When I'm worried about doing something, I do it as often as possible!"

Despite Emma's obvious sarcasm, there seemed to be real concern behind her words. _For Jean?_

"No," Emma answered Scott's unspoken question. "Not for her. For you."

Maybe somewhere beneath all the scheming and manipulation, she really did care. But Scott was not prepared to accept that just now.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was striding with apparent unconcern toward her next target, Juggernaut. She raised her hands and fired what looked like massive flamethrower blasts at him, sending him flying.

"Jean!" Rogue shouted as she dropped to the ground, but Phoenix did not answer to that name.

Juggernaut staggered to his feet and threw an ill-advised roundhouse punch that Phoenix calmly blocked and followed with a crushing blow to Juggernaut's skull. He slumped to the ground, motionless.

"Did you just _kill_ him?" Colossus demanded in shock.

Phoenix walked away without a word. She fired a blast of energy at what appeared to be thin air, and suddenly a human form fell seemingly out of nowhere. Mystique also did not move.

Seeing all this unfold, Archangel looked suddenly panicked.

"Still confident in the abilities your beloved master has conferred on you?" Magneto asked sarcastically.

"This is not over," Archangel stated flatly, and took flight.

Phoenix bent her knees slightly, clearly about to leap into the air to pursue.

"Wait!" Cyclops shouted.

Phoenix stared at him physically. "_Scott Summers. Jean Grey's beloved. You are under our protection._"

"Thank you," Cyclops replied stiffly, hoping the Phoenix would not note the insincerity in his voice.

"_I can pursue the Archangel and end this threat_."

"It's not that I don't appreciate the thought," Cyclops replied. "But I'm going to have to ask you to give me my wife back."

"_We are here, Scott Summers._"

Cyclops shook his head firmly. "I want Jean."

Phoenix looked thoughtful for a moment, but finally answered, "_Very well. The vessel regains control… for now._"

Jean stumbled slightly as the animation returned to her features, and Cyclops stepped forward to embrace her. "Jean!"

"Scott!" Jean exclaimed, trembling in his arms and clutching at him. "Oh, Scott… I think I killed them…"


	7. Faithful and True

_**Then I saw the heavens opened, and there was a white horse; its rider was [called] "Faithful and True." He judges and wages war in righteousness.  
****-Revelation 19:11**_

It had been quite some time since Magneto last stood in Charles Xavier's office. If they had time, both men probably would have expressed very conflicted emotions about the reunion.

Apart from the two often-turbulent friends, the odd assortment of mutants in the room also included Emma Frost, Nightcrawler, and all of the junior members of the X-Men. Bobby and Rogue were whispering to each other while Colossus sat in comfortable but stoic silence.

"Kurt," Xavier said warmly, "what you did was incredibly brave. Thank you."

"It vas nothing," Nightcrawler answered humbly, his tail swishing with pleasure at the compliment.

Jean and Cyclops rushed into the briefing room. "Storm's on her way back with the kids," Cyclops announced.

"Logan is resting comfortably in the infirmary," Jean added. "The skull fracture was pretty bad. Knowing him, he'll be awake in a few minutes. Juggernaut is dead. Alex and Mystique are in comas, and it'll take a lot more psychic probing to know if they're ever going to wake up. Professor, I—"

"There are several conversations that need to be had as a result of tonight's events," Xavier interrupted, "but unfortunately some of them will need to happen after we have dealt with the present threat."

Jean nodded in acknowledgement. Cyclops made sure to sit next to her and slipped his arm around her. Jean, still looking very guilty, didn't lean into the embrace.

"For the moment," Xavier continued, "we need to decide how we are going to respond to this attack."

"This is the part where Logan would have wanted us to talk about striking back," Cyclops pointed out. "I'm afraid I would be inclined to agree."

"A direct strike on Apocalypse might not be possible," Emma cautioned. "For one thing, we don't even know where his base of operations is located."

"Giza, Egypt," Magneto stated casually.

Everyone stared incredulously at him.

"I told you I worked for him," Magneto reminded with a shrug.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Rogue asked.

"You should at least wait for Storm," Jean pointed out. "Her family lived in Cairo for a while, she knows the area."

"And Logan," Cyclops added. "We need everyone for this one." Here, he glanced inquiringly at Jean, noting her significant use of _you_ instead of _we_.

Jean nodded in reluctant acknowledgement.

"Kurt, Emma," Xavier added. "I can't ask either of you to—"

"Boff that," Emma cut him off. "I'm going, and I'm sure God Squad boy is, too."

Nightcrawler's tail thrashed in agitation, but he nodded in affirmation.

"En Sabah Nur is over a thousand years old," Magneto cautioned. "His powers are beyond anything you have ever encountered. Do not make this decision lightly. It might be the last you make."

"Aren't we all doom and gloom," Emma noted sarcastically.

"The man calls himself Apocalypse for a reason," Magneto answered dryly.

XXXXX

After the meeting broke up, Jean rushed off to the infirmary, and Cyclops hurried to catch up.

"He heals on his own, you know!" Cyclops reminded as he tried to catch up.

"That doesn't mean we can't help smooth the process along!" Jean countered defensively.

"I'm just saying we don't have to run like it's a code blue!" Cyclops explained, grabbing her by the arm when he caught up.

Jean turned to face him, panting with exertion. "Sorry. I just…"

"It's okay," Cyclops assured her. "Jean… I don't want you to feel pressured into joining us on this mission."

"_We need everyone on this one_," Jean repeated his words verbatim.

"Either you or Beast will have to stay behind to monitor the patients," Cyclops reminded.

Jean winced with guilt at that last.

"What happened to Alex isn't your fault, Jean," Cyclops stated firmly.

Jean nodded without conviction, but still insisted, "Then you'll be happy to have Hank stay instead of me."

"Jean, if you're even a little unsure—"

"Then I'll never go on a mission again!" Jean countered. "I'm never going to be sure again, Scott! I'll be useless."

Cyclops caught her by the chin and gently tilted her head up so they were looking each other in the eyes. "No you won't. Even if you never go on another mission, you will _not_ be useless."

"I have to go with you," Jean insisted. "I have to prove to myself that I can still do this. That I'm still me."

Cyclops nodded, and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips. The gentle kiss turned more insistent as Jean pulled him closer.

"Go check on Logan," Cyclops encouraged breathlessly after reluctantly pulling away. "Storm will be back in five minutes. As soon as Logan is awake, we're leaving."

Jean nodded.

They brushed lips again gently, and Cyclops whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Jean answered, and they parted ways.

XXXXX

Even though he knew no one had been hurt, Colossus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Storm approaching with the students. The X-Men's second-in-command only spared a quick nod at Colossus as she hurried past. "I need to go help Scott prep the jet," she explained.

"I'll make sure everyone's okay," Colossus assured her.

The older students helped shepherd the younger students inside, whispering comforting words to the obviously agitated youths, so they were the last to enter the mansion. Colossus nodded at Jubilee, hugged his friend Shadowcat, whispering, "I'm glad you're okay, Katya."

The other biggest object of Colossus's relieved attention smiled patiently as the old friends broke their embrace. Colossus patted Kitty on the shoulder and stepped forward to grab his boyfriend in a crushing hug.

"You were in more danger than we were," Northstar pointed out.

"And I know you were just as worried about me as I was about you."

"Yeah…" Northstar acknowledged as he squeezed Colossus affectionately.

"I have to go again," Colossus told him reluctantly.

Northstar stepped back to smile at him. "I know. You have to go be a big hero. Be careful."

"I will," Colossus promised, and reluctantly turned to leave.

Colossus jumped in surprise as Northstar playfully swatted his backside. He turned back to find his boyfriend grinning at him.

"I love you," Colossus declared with affectionate exasperation.

"I know," Northstar answered insufferably.

XXXXX

When Jean walked into the infirmary, she smiled ruefully at the sight of Wolverine already sitting up and ripping his IVs out.

"Did we win?" he asked flippantly.

"Apocalypse let us have a timeout so you could recover," Jean answered teasingly. "We're meeting at the monkey bars at recess."

Wolverine grunted. "What's the plan?"

"Magneto knows where Apocalypse's base is. He's going to take us there, and we're going to try to kill him before he kills us."

"So the plan is to trust that bub again? Didn't work so well last time."

"He's telling the truth," Jean insisted.

Wolverine grunted again.

"He let the professor read his mind."

Wolverine's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he nodded, reassured. He pulled his last bandage off with a quick ripping sound, and hopped to his feet.

"Well? What are we waiting for?"


	8. Beyond Good and Evil

**_Beyond Good and Evil_**

The X-Jet flew low – well under radar level – as they entered Africa at supersonic speeds.

"It _really_ seems like someone should be able to see us," Rogue pointed out.

"I've got us shielded with a passive psychic suggestion," Jean answered distractedly, her eyes half-closed in concentration.

"She can _do_ that?" Iceman gasped.

Cyclops bit his lip in concern, but concentrated on bringing the jet in for a smooth landing.

"Alright, here's how this is going to work," Cyclops said, turning around to face everyone. "We're going to have to split up to take Apocalypse by surprise. Storm you take Iceman, Rogue, and Colossus to the upper entrance. _Wait for my signal_ before you go in. Jean, Wolverine, Magneto, and Emma with me at the front entrance."

"Putting the people you can't trust on your team, I see," Jean pointed out.

Cyclops shot her a hurt look.

"Summers doesn't trust me?" Wolverine asked with feigned concern.

XXXXX

Archangel approached the throne quickly and dropped to one knee. "My Lord! The X-Men are approaching the citadel. Phoenix is with them."

The intimidating figure rose from his throne. "It is time."

XXXXX

The X-Men split up at the front entrance to Apocalypse's citadel. Cyclops nodded bracingly at Storm who smiled encouragingly back.

"Wait for my signal," Cyclops reminded.

"We might not have a choice," Storm pointed out. "Apocalypse has probably seen us coming."

"I trust your judgment," Cyclops reassured her. "If you think you have the tactical advantage, engage them. If not, get back down here and regroup with us."

Wolverine stepped towards Storm and they embraced. "Good luck," he whispered after kissing her lightly on the lips.

"You too," Storm whispered back, kissing him again quickly before turning away.

Cyclops led the way to the front entrance while Storm, Rogue, Colossus, and Iceman stayed behind.

Storm took flight, followed by Rogue carrying Colossus, and Iceman gliding on an ice path.

XXXXX

Cyclops's team stepped out of the main passageway into a large chamber. At the center was a large, alien-looking device with a platform.

"Jean?"

"I'm a psychic, too, you know," Emma pointed out flippantly.

"Archangel is on the top floor near Storm's team," Jean stated, sounding distracted as she reached out with her telepathic abilities. "I still can't get a read on Apocalypse."

Wolverine grunted. "For someone who's supposed to be so powerful, he sure lets his henchmen do most of the fighting."

"Do not be deceived, Wolverine," Magneto warned. "Apocalypse is here. I am certain of it."

As if in answer to Magneto's words, a burst of deadly-looking energy suddenly lanced at the X-Men, knocking Wolverine aside and forcing the others to jump out of the way quickly.

"Ah, good," Apocalypse's rumbling voice echoed through the chamber as he stepped out of the shadows. "Witnesses for my triumph." He was a truly terrifying figure, tall and muscular to the point of not looking human, so that his armor hardly seemed necessary.

"I was truly impressed that you withstood my Horsemen," Apocalypse continued monologuing as he strode casually into the chamber, apparently unconcerned as the X-Men regrouped. "I did not foresee their failure. Perhaps I have underestimated you."

Cyclops fired a powerful optic blast at the approaching titan while Wolverine rushed at him. Apocalypse looked unfazed by Cyclops's blast, and fired a similar burst of energy back at him from his hand. Cyclops was knocked against the wall, stunned. Wolverine almost reached Apocalypse before the Dark Lord casually fired another bolt of energy at him, knocking him aside with apparent ease.

"Of course, I haven't really underestimated all of you," Apocalypse continued as though nothing had happened. "Have I… Phoenix?" he concluded, staring right at Jean.

Magneto reached out, presumably aiming for Apocalypse's metal-looking armor, but frowned in confusion when nothing happened.

Apocalypse laughed. "Your powers are useless here, Magneto. You will find no metal to manipulate." He grinned at Emma and tapped his forehead arrogantly. "As are yours, Frost. It would seem there is only one of you left to defeat me."

As if to contradict his words, Cyclops fired another blast, startling but not hurting him.

"Jean! Contact Storm! Tell her we've engaged Apocalypse!"

Apocalypse turned and fired a blast of energy at the main entrance, effectively sealing himself and the X-Men in the chamber. "Oh no," he said calmly. "We can't have any interruptions."

With a loud snarl, Wolverine charged at Apocalypse, slashing at him with his claws. Apocalypse appeared almost amused, and his hand suddenly morphed into a large blade with which he easily swiped aside Wolverine's claws, and plunged into Wolverine's midsection, rendering him unconscious. With a smirk, the Dark Lord kicked Wolverine off the blade, sending him crumpling to the ground.

As he finished that action, he was pushed back almost imperceptibly by a pair of telekinetic blasts on each shoulder. Jean stepped forward, continuing to hammer at him with powerful telekinetic blasts, but Apocalypse barely even seemed phased.

He laughed. "Surely this cannot be the power of the Phoenix I've heard so much about!" He raised his hand and fired a blast of energy, which Jean was able to block with her telekinetic powers, but with obvious strain.

Apocalypse took a step closer, and Jean faltered. The blast still did not touch her, but she lost her footing and was flung across the room.

Jean found herself pinned against the wall, and Apocalypse kept walking closer, the intensity of his blast increasing as he neared. She struggled, trying to expand her telekinetic shield to push away the deadly energy, but Apocalypse's strength seemed inexorable.

_I can help you, Child,_ the seductive voice of the Phoenix whispered in her ear, and thin wispy fingers of flames began to emanate from the sides of her arms.

"Jean, no!" Cyclops shouted. In his desperation, he ripped off his visor and opened his eyes, smashing Apocalypse with the most extreme form of his power.

Apocalypse actually staggered and stopped firing at Jean, allowing her to drop her telekinetic shield and remove herself from the wall.

"Impressive," he noted calmly as Cyclops put his visor back on and stood.

"Scott, he's too strong," Jean despaired.

"We're all doomed," Emma agreed dryly.

"What is it you _want_, Apocalypse?" Magneto had the audacity to demand.

Apocalypse strode calmly toward the machine in the center of the room. "I thought you'd never ask!"

Cyclops again fired at his retreating figure, but Apocalypse simply continued walking.

"This device took me over a thousand years to design and two thousand years to build," Apocalypse said calmly, as though lecturing to a class, apparently oblivious to the X-Men's attempts to stop him as he began to bring the device online. "The final obstacle I had to overcome was how to provide a sufficient amount of power to accomplished such a colossal feat…"

"What does the machine do?" Magneto asked.

"Twice you've tried to create a world without humans, Magneto," Apocalypse said calmly as he continued to manipulate the controls. "I'm just borrowing your idea."

Cyclops began firing with renewed desperation, and Apocalypse sighed, turned around, and hit him with another energy blast. "I really wish you'd stop making me do that. I don't want to damage you too much."

"Why do you care?" Jean asked, confused.

"The way I overcame that final obstacle," Apocalypse continued his earlier explanation, "was to make it run on a particular kind of power… my power. I am able to produce an almost unlimited source of energy."

"Ingenious," Magneto acknowledged grudgingly.

Apocalypse almost smiled. Almost. "I knew _you_ would understand."

"So why not simply activate the device?" Magneto pressed. "Why bring us here?"

"Unfortunately, the sheer amount of power I will have to use to activate this device will easily consume what life is left for this host body. So I will need another. Luckily, you have seen fit to provide me with a sufficient replacement host body!"

"You're not taking Jeannie, bub." Everyone turned with surprise to see Wolverine rising shakily to his feet, the huge wound in his chest already mostly healed.

"No," Apocalypse agreed calmly. "It seems she is not as powerful as I was led to believe anyway; another failing of my minions, perhaps… regardless, it is done." Without another word, he placed his hands on the machine and it began glowing with faint light.

Jean suddenly cried out in pain, and Emma's eyes widened.

"What is it?" Cyclops asked.

Emma shook her head, and Jean said, "My God, Scott… it's killing them… _all_ of them."

Cyclops turned and fired desperately at the machine, but it was seemingly unaffected by the blasts. He tried firing at Apocalypse himself, but it was just as fruitless as before.

Jean closed her eyes hopelessly. "There's only one way."

"_No_," Cyclops answered hotly.

"You," Wolverine growled at Magneto. "You can stop this."

"And why should I want to?" Magneto countered.

"Because it's probably our best chance to stop Apocalypse," Emma argued. "And once he's done fulfilling your life's ambition, he's going to _kill_ us."

Magneto sighed. "Very well." He reached towards the machine to manipulate some internal component within it, and then frowned.

"What?" Cyclops demanded.

"It's not working."

"Liar," Wolverine snarled.

"He's telling the truth," Emma informed him calmly, reminding everyone that Magneto was not wearing his helmet.

Cyclops had already turned to Jean. "Jean, don't—"

"I love you," Jean said quietly, and then her eyes glowed and she was wreathed in fire.

XXXXX

**To Be Continued…**

XXXXX

Based on the X-Men films of Bryan Singer and the X-Men comics by Marvel Comics.

I do not own the X-Men, or any associated characters and concepts.

All biblical passages taken from the New American Bible.

Charles Xavier, aka Professor X  
En Sabah Nur, aka Apocalypse  
Dr. Jean Grey-Summers, aka Phoenix  
Scott Summers, aka Cyclops  
Emma Frost, aka White Queen  
Erik Lensherr, aka Magneto  
Kurt Wagner, aka Nightcrawler  
Logan, aka Wolverine  
Ororo Munroe, aka Storm  
Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast  
Warren Worthington III, aka Archangel, aka Death  
Raven Darkholme, aka Mystique, aka Famine  
Alex Summers, aka Havok, aka Conquest  
Cain Marko, aka Juggernaut, aka War  
Marie D'Ancato, aka Rogue  
Bobby Drake, aka Iceman  
Piotr "Peter" Rasputin, aka Colussus  
Kitty Pryde, aka Shadowcat  
Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar


End file.
